Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday October 4

The focus for the babies will be on Saturday’s Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (1000m) at Flemington where Brazen Beau will have the opportunity for bragging rights to be the first new season stallion to sire a winner.

The Godolphin homebred Mercury comes from a family that has served Godolphin well since taking over the Woodlands operation back in 2008.

One of those inherited was the Barathea (IRE) mare Saddler’s Silk who was placed in the Group 1 QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

A sister to dual Listed stakes-winner and Group 1 QTC TJ Smith Classic runner-up Barawin, Saddler’s Silk was joined by her daughters Patina (Anabaa) and Jerezana (Lonhro).

Patina won two races and is the dam of Godolphin’s high-class Viridine (Poet’s Voice) whose four wins included last year’s Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes.

The Roman Consul is run at Randwick on Saturday and it can boast a roll call of winners in recent years that include Brazen Beau himself as well as Zoustar, Exosphere and Russian Revolution.

Godolphin parted with Patina in 2016 for $15,000 before Viridine began making headlines.

It is unlikely her half-sister Jerezana will suffer a similar fate any time soon.

Winner of the 2011 Listed CRJC Ramornie Handicap, Jerezana has made an outstanding start to her broodmare career.

Her first is the stakes-placed Commands gelding Badajoz who has won six and placed in 10 of his 24 starts with earnings of almost $450,000.

The second foal of Jerezana is the high-class Street Cry (IRE) gelding Osborne Bulls whose eight wins from 12 starts include the Listed Regal Roller Stakes and Listed Luskin Star Stakes and most recently was fifth in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

Advertisement

The third foal of Jerezana is the promising Exceed And Excel gelding Sedition a recent winner at Rosehill.

So, Mercury has a bit to live up to.

While Brazen Beau (pictured) was a champion sprinter, the son of I Am Invincible was not seen out until February of his juvenile season.

That came when making his debut in an 1100 metre maiden at Canterbury. Some maiden that turned out to be. Brazen Beau defeated the subsequent Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes winner Hampton Court with the Group III ATC Festival Stakes winner and $1.3 million earner Testashadow back in third.

Two starts later Brazen Beau won the Group II Champagne Classic and rounded out his juvenile year with seconds in the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes and Group II BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

That proved a mere appetiser to an amazing three-year-old season in which Brazen Beau won the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and Group 1 VRC Newmarket Handicap before winding up his career with a luckless second in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Brazen Beau’s first season service fee of $44,000 at Darley Stud’s Northwood Park was the most expensive of all first season sires in 2015.

He had a solid reception at the sales with his first crop of yearlings.

Fifty-two first crop yearlings averaged a tick under $156,000 with the top price of $700,000 paid by McEvoy Mitchell Racing for Coolmore Stud’s half-sister to Sertorius, Dollar For Dollar and Clifton Red out of the blue hen Encosta de Lago mare Pretty Penny.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Bred to Be Better at Three
Andrew Campbell will unveil another exciting youngster at Hawera on Saturday when two-year-old gelding Valvano makes his debut in the Simon Bendall @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m).
Sires With Winners - Friday July 11
Here is the full list of 45 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Fillies and Mares Star at Newmarket July - Royal Ascot Form on Show
If you followed Royal Ascot last month and have an interest in the big Newmarket July summer meeting unfolding at present then you would have see the major filly and mare feature winners overnight came via Royal Ascot.
Wathnan Racing Swoop - Quai de Bethune Eclipses July Sale Record 775,000 Guineas
The Tattersalls July Sale concluded in spectacular fashion with QUAI DE BETHUNE selling for a record 775,000 guineas and the Busuttin Young stable also picked up lightly raced 3YO TIME ALLOWED for Australia.
Debut 2YO Winner for Brutal
Fresh from siring a smart metro winner at Sandown on Wednesday in Brutalina, Brutal was in the frame at Scone on Friday where Brett Cavanough unleashed a promising two year-old debut winner in Bird Whistle.
Willydoit Data Surprise - Sprinter or Stayer?
Scientific tests have revealed surprising results on the distance aptitude of this season’s star New Zealand staying three-year-old Willydoit.
Brazen Beau filly Raises $300,000 for CatWalk Trust
The generosity of a number of thoroughbred industry kingpins has led to more than $300,000 being raised for the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust at Karaka on Monday.
Juvenile Trial Watch -Newcastle
Three heats for juveniles at the Newcastle barrier trials on Monday produced some interesting winners including the colt that topped the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Melbourne Racing Club Unveils Major Spring Racing Enhancements
Racing Victoria has confirmed prize money allocations for the 2025-2026 season and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has announced some exciting race program changes and prizemoney increases that, together with other great initiatives at Flemington and Moonee Valley, reinforce the position of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival at the forefront of international racing.
Brazen Beau's Hot Run Continues
Darley Stud’s Braze Beau is having some kind of a week.